US7970557B2 - Gas appliance judgment apparatus and method - Google Patents

Gas appliance judgment apparatus and method Download PDF

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US7970557B2
US7970557B2 US12/169,287 US16928708A US7970557B2 US 7970557 B2 US7970557 B2 US 7970557B2 US 16928708 A US16928708 A US 16928708A US 7970557 B2 US7970557 B2 US 7970557B2
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Prior art keywords
flow volume
gas
appliance
data
gas appliance
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US20090018782A1 (en
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Yoshito Sameda
Kenji Nakano
Yukio Takanohashi
Hiroto UYAMA
Masaaki Ishino
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Toshiba Toko Meter Systems Co Ltd
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Toshiba Toko Meter Systems Co Ltd
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Assigned to TOSHIBA TOKO METER SYSTEMS CO., LTD. reassignment TOSHIBA TOKO METER SYSTEMS CO., LTD. NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01M3/00—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
    • G01M3/02—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum
    • G01M3/26—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
    • G01F9/00—Measuring volume flow relative to another variable, e.g. of liquid fuel for an engine
    • G01F9/008—Measuring volume flow relative to another variable, e.g. of liquid fuel for an engine where the other variable is the flight or running time
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
    • F17D—PIPE-LINE SYSTEMS; PIPE-LINES
    • F17D3/00—Arrangements for supervising or controlling working operations
    • F17D3/01—Arrangements for supervising or controlling working operations for controlling, signalling, or supervising the conveyance of a product
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
    • G01F3/00—Measuring the volume flow of fluids or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through the meter in successive and more or less isolated quantities, the meter being driven by the flow
    • G01F3/02—Measuring the volume flow of fluids or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through the meter in successive and more or less isolated quantities, the meter being driven by the flow with measuring chambers which expand or contract during measurement
    • G01F3/20—Measuring the volume flow of fluids or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through the meter in successive and more or less isolated quantities, the meter being driven by the flow with measuring chambers which expand or contract during measurement having flexible movable walls, e.g. diaphragms, bellows
    • G01F3/22—Measuring the volume flow of fluids or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through the meter in successive and more or less isolated quantities, the meter being driven by the flow with measuring chambers which expand or contract during measurement having flexible movable walls, e.g. diaphragms, bellows for gases

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a gas appliance judgment apparatus and judgment method used in a gas meter or the like which is disposed in a gas supply line to a domestic dwelling and has a gas flow meter, and more particularly it relates to technology which enables the provision of higher advanced safety functions and services which are appropriate to gas appliances by identifying the type of gas appliance in use and identifying the presence or absence of a gas leak.
  • a gas meter incorporating a gas flow meter is installed at the inlet port of the gas supply line to a domestic dwelling.
  • the gas meter measures the gas flow volume passing through the gas supply line, and the measured gas flow volume is used to calculate a periodic gas billing amount.
  • the gas meter also has a safety function for shutting off the gas supply when an abnormal state occurs.
  • This safety function is a function which shuts off the gas by means of a shut-off valve provided in the gas flow path of the gas meter, in response to the detection of an abnormal usage state, for instance, if an earthquake is detected, if there is a gas leak or if the appliance is left without turned off, and the like.
  • FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the safe continuous use time settings employed in a shut-off function in the event that the safe continuous use time has been exceeded, which is one of the safety functions described above.
  • This function is a function whereby, in cases where the occurrence of a gas flow has been detected and the gas flow is used continuously thereafter, then if the continuous use time has become excessively long, it is considered that an abnormal usage state of some kind, such as a gas leak, has occurred, and hence the gas is shut off.
  • a large-scale water boiler which uses a large gas flow volume is only used continuously for approximately 30 minutes, whereas a stove which uses a small gas flow volume may be used continuously for a long period of time, and therefore based on this premise, the safe continuous use time is set to a short time when the gas flow volume is large and the safe continuous use time is set to a long time when the gas flow volume is small.
  • the gas meter judges that a gas appliance of some kind has started to be used, when a gas flow volume has occurred and or when the gas flow volume has changed into an increase, and based on this judgement, measures the time during which this flow rate continues. If this flow volume continues for a time exceeding the safe continuous use time shown in FIG. 14 , then the gas meter shuts off the gas for safety reasons. Consequently, rather than identifying the gas appliance in use, a shut-off due to over-run of the safe continuous use time is implemented, on the basis of the used gas flow volume.
  • partial flow volume patterns are classified according to control steps for a plurality of types of gas appliances which may be used, and these patterns are recorded in a flow volume pattern table. Furthermore, the combination of partial flow volume patterns corresponding to a plurality of different gas appliances is recorded in an appliance table. A partial flow volume pattern which matches a gas flow volume pattern determined by the gas flow meter is extracted from the flow volume pattern table, and furthermore, a gas appliance which matches the extracted combination of partial flow volume patterns is extracted from the appliance table.
  • the inventions described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-149019, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-149027 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-149075 identify a gas appliance on the basis of at least three flow volume patterns occurring at respective combustion control steps: “ignition”, “initial transient period after ignition” and “stable period after stabilization of flow volume”. Furthermore, in addition to these flow volume patterns, the flow volume range is monitored in each control step, and the appliance is also identified by considering whether or not the flow volume of the determined gas flow volume pattern corresponds to the flow volume range recorded previously in the appliance table.
  • the present invention was devised in order to resolve the problems of the prior art described above, a first object thereof being to provide a gas appliance judgment apparatus and method whereby the type of gas appliance in use can be identified and a gas leak can be detected, efficiently and accurately, as well as being able to distinguish efficiently and accurately between the occurrence of a gas leak and the continuous use of a gas appliance which is not fitted with a governor.
  • a gas appliance judgment apparatus in accordance with the present invention, in a first aspect, comprises: a flow volume measurement means for measuring the instantaneous flow volume of gas flowing inside a gas flow channel; a noise removal means for removing noise from the instantaneous flow volume data which has been measured by the flow volume measurement means; an object extraction means for extracting data of a variable portion and a flat portion of the flow volume, from the instantaneous flow volume data from which the noise has been removed by the noise removal means; a characteristics extraction means for extracting, as the characteristics of the gas flow, characteristics of the data of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume which has been extracted by the object extraction means; a rule storage means for storing respective rules which include characteristic data of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume, for respective types of gas appliance or for a gas leak; and an appliance judgment means for determining the type of gas appliance in use or the presence or absence of a gas leak and outputs a judgment result, by comparing the characteristics data included in
  • a gas appliance judgment apparatus in accordance with the present invention, in a second aspect, comprises: a flow volume measurement means and pressure measurement means for measuring the instantaneous flow volume and the pressure of gas flowing inside a gas flow channel; a noise removal means for removing noise from the instantaneous flow volume data and pressure data which has been measured by the flow volume measurement means and the pressure measurement means; an object extraction means for respectively extracting data of a prescribed time period at respective sampling timings, from the instantaneous flow volume data and pressure data from which noise has been removed by the noise removal means; a characteristics extraction means for extracting, as the characteristics of the data of the prescribed time period which has been extracted by the object extraction means, characteristics including the dispersion in the ratio between the flow volume and the square root of the pressure or the ratio between the flow volume and the pressure; and a governor presence judgment means for judging the presence or absence of a governor in use and outputs a judgment result on the basis of the characteristics of the data of the prescribed time period which has been extracted by the characteristics
  • gas appliance judgment methods in accordance with the present invention respectively state the functions of the gas appliance judgment apparatuses of the present invention described above, in terms of a method.
  • the type of gas appliance and the occurrence of a gas leak is judged on the basis of a combination of the instantaneous flow volume of the gas and the time differential value of the instantaneous flow volume, and therefore such judgment is possible even in the case of appliances which cannot be judged simply on the basis of the flow volume pattern and range. Consequently, problems where a gas leak is judged unduly due to the inability to identify the gas appliance are avoided, and safety is improved.
  • the gas appliance judgment apparatus and method in the first aspect it is possible to provide a gas appliance judgment apparatus and method whereby the type of gas appliance in use can be identified and a gas leak can be detected, efficiently and accurately, as well as being able to distinguish efficiently and accurately between the occurrence of a gas leak and the continuous use of a gas appliance which is not fitted with a governor.
  • the characteristics are extracted by representing the measured instantaneous flow volume and the time differential value of the instantaneous flow volume on a two-dimensional graph, and dividing same into regions.
  • the characteristics are extracted by representing the measured instantaneous flow volume and the time differential value of the instantaneous flow volume on a two-dimensional graph, dividing same into regions, and then determining the transitions of the instantaneous flow volume and the time differential value of the instantaneous flow volume which move in a time sequence within these divided regions.
  • the gas appliance judgment apparatus in the first aspect, by employing a technique based on division into regions in this way, it is possible to achieve efficient and accurate judgment of a gas appliance, simply by performing a straightforward compare/search and calculation operation in order to check whether or not the same regions are included as in a comparison pattern, in contrast to a technique which carries out pattern matching by converting the actual flow volume pattern itself into a graph.
  • the gas appliance judgment apparatus and method in the second aspect described above by using the ratio between the flow volume and the square root of the pressure, or a substitute value, in order to judge the presence or absence of a governor, it is possible to ascertain the state of the amount of opening of the gas spray nozzle of the gas appliance.
  • this value corresponds to the amount of opening of the gas spray nozzle section of the gas appliance, and therefore it is possible to judge that a governor is present in cases where the amount of opening of the gas spray nozzle is altered in response to pressure variations in such a manner that the flow volume remains constant, and to judge that a governor is absent in cases where the amount of opening of the gas spray nozzle is uniform and the flow volume changes.
  • start-up time and the end time of a gas appliance can be judged from the ratio between the flow volume and the square root of the pressure, or a substitute value, then it is possible to distinguish efficiently and accurately between the occurrence of a gas leak and the continuous use of a gas appliance which is not fitted with a governor.
  • the change in the gas pressure is relatively small, then it is possible to judge the presence or absence of a governor, with a small margin of error in calculation, by using the pressure value itself as a substitute value for the square root of the pressure and by simply finding the ratio between the flow volume and the pressure. If the presence of a governor is judged by finding the ratio between the flow volume and the pressure in this way, then the calculational load can be reduced in comparison with a case where the ratio between the flow volume and the square root of the pressure is found, and therefore efficiency can be improved. On the other hand, if there is a relatively large variation in the gas pressure, then better accuracy is achieved if the ratio between the flow volume and the square root of the pressure is found.
  • the gas appliance judgment apparatus and method in the second aspect it is possible to provide a gas appliance judgment apparatus and method whereby the presence or absence of a governor in use can be judged efficiently and accurately, as well as being able to distinguish efficiently and accurately between the occurrence of a gas leak and the continued use of a gas appliance which is not fitted with a governor.
  • FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the composition of a gas appliance judgment apparatus according to a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied;
  • FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing one example of a gas appliance judgment procedure performed by a gas appliance judgment apparatus according to the first embodiment
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram showing one example of a technique of noise removal processing according to the first embodiment
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram showing one example of a technique of object extraction processing according to the first embodiment
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram showing one example of a technique of extracting the “length” and “initial flow volume” of the variable portion of the flow volume, in the gas flow characteristics extraction processing according to the first embodiment
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram showing one example of a technique of extracting the “sequence of transited regions” of the variable portion of the flow volume, in the gas flow characteristics extraction processing according to the first embodiment
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram showing one example of a division table used in the gas flow characteristics extraction processing according to the first embodiment
  • FIG. 8 is a diagram showing one example of rules for the variable portion and flat portion of the flow volume which are used in the rule match search and point addition processing according to the first embodiment
  • FIG. 9 is a diagram showing one example of the result of a cumulative point score from the rule match search and point addition processing according to the first embodiment
  • FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the composition of a gas appliance judgment apparatus according to a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied;
  • FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing one example of a gas appliance judgment procedure performed by a gas appliance judgment apparatus according to the second embodiment
  • FIG. 12 is a diagram showing one example of a technique of object extraction processing according to the second embodiment.
  • FIG. 13 is a diagram showing one example of a technique for governor presence judgment processing according to the second embodiment.
  • FIG. 14 is a diagram showing limit time settings used in the judgment of over-run of the safe continuous use time.
  • FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the composition of a gas appliance judgment apparatus according to a first embodiment to which the present invention has been applied.
  • the gas appliance judgment apparatus according to the present embodiment is composed of a measurement means 10 , a pre-processing means 20 , a characteristics extraction means 30 , a judgment means 40 , and a judgment result output means 50 .
  • the details of the means 10 to 50 are as follows.
  • the measurement means 10 has a flow volume measurement means 11 for measuring the instantaneous flow volume q[t] of the gas flowing inside a gas supply flow channel (gas pipe). It is possible to use various types of measurement means for the flow volume measurement means 11 , but in the present embodiment, it is supposed that an ultrasonic flow volume meter is used.
  • this ultrasonic flow volume meter has a gas inflow port, a gas flow channel, a gas outflow port, a shut-off valve, a display unit and a control unit.
  • Ultrasonic vibrating elements are provided inside the gas flow channel, respectively in the upstream portion and the downstream portion of the gas flow channel.
  • An ultrasonic wave is transmitted and received repeatedly, in the forward direction and reverse direction of the flow respectively, between the ultrasonic vibrating element in the upstream portion and the ultrasonic vibrating element in the downstream portion, and the integral propagation time of the ultrasonic wave in either direction is determined.
  • the instantaneous flow volume is calculated on the basis of the difference in propagation time thus obtained.
  • the pre-processing means 20 has a flow volume data noise removal means 21 for removing noise from the instantaneous flow volume data measured by the flow volume measurement means 11 , and a flow volume data object extraction means 22 for extracting data on the variable portion of the flow volume and the flat portion of the flow volume, from the instantaneous flow volume data from which the noise has been removed.
  • the characteristics extraction means 30 has a gas flow characteristics extraction means 31 for extracting, as the characteristics of the gas flow, the characteristics of the data on the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume extracted by the flow volume data object extraction means 22 , and a division table storage means 32 for previously storing a division table in which division numbers are associated with divisions obtained by dividing a range of assumed index values showing the respective characteristic items into a plurality of divisions.
  • the gas flow characteristics extraction means 31 extracts the “length”, “initial flow volume” and “sequence of transited regions” of the variable portion of the flow volume, from the data extracted by the flow volume data object extraction means 22 , and extracts the “length”, “average value” and “gradient” of the flat portion of the flow volume, and converts the values of these respective characteristics, apart from the “sequence of transited regions”, into division numbers of a division table which is stored in the division table storage means 32 .
  • the “sequence of transited regions” will be described briefly here.
  • the instantaneous flow volume and the instantaneous flow volume time differential value are arranged into a two-dimensional graph and are divided into respective regions by the gas flow characteristics extraction means 31 , in such a manner that the instantaneous flow volume and the instantaneous flow volume time differential value shift within the divided regions in accordance with a time series.
  • the “sequence of transited regions” means the sequence of the regions between which the instantaneous flow volume and the time differential value of the instantaneous flow volume shift.
  • the judgment means 40 has an appliance judgment means 41 for judging the type of gas appliance in use or the presence or absence of a gas leak.
  • the appliance judgment means 41 is composed of a rule storage means 42 , a rule match search and point addition means 43 , an appliance in use determination means 44 , and a rule generation means 45 .
  • the rule storage means 42 previously stores, respectively for each type of gas appliance and for a gas leak, rules which associate information about the appliance number or appliance name, etc., which indicates the type of gas appliance, with corresponding characteristics data relating to the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume.
  • the rule match search and point addition means 43 searches the rules stored in the rule storage means 42 to find a rule having characteristics data which matches the characteristics of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume extracted by the gas flow characteristics extraction means 31 , and points indicating the probability of the type of gas appliance, or the existence of a gas leak, indicated by that rule are added respectively for the type of gas appliance and for the existence of a gas leak. In adding the points in this way, the rule match search and point addition means 43 adds different points between when the rule is matched completely and when the rule is matched partially.
  • the appliance in use determination means 44 determines that a gas appliance of that type is in use, and outputs, as a judgment result, appliance type information such as the appliance number or appliance name indicating that gas appliance type. Furthermore, if the points added up in respect of a gas leak are not less than a threshold value, then the appliance in use determination means 44 determines that there is a gas leak and outputs, as a judgement result, gas leak warning information, such as a message which indicates a gas leak.
  • the rule generation means 45 generates a new rule which includes the characteristics data of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume relating to each gas appliance type or a gas leak, on the basis of the characteristics of the gas flow extracted by the gas flow characteristics extraction means 31 and separately acquired information relating to the gas appliance type or the presence or absence of a gas leak.
  • the rule generation means 45 stores this new rule in the rule storage means 42 .
  • the pre-processing means 20 , the characteristics extraction means 30 and the judgment means 40 can generally be achieved by a combination of electronic circuits or computers of various types, and programs specified in order to achieve the functions of these means.
  • the division table storage means 32 of the characteristics extraction means 30 and the rule storage means 42 of the appliance judgment means 41 can be realized by a memory provided generally in a computer, or a storage apparatus of various kinds.
  • the judgment result output means 50 is a means for outputting the judgment results obtained from the appliance in use determination means 44 , in the form of an indication or report to a human operator.
  • This judgment result output means 50 may be realized by output devices of various types, such as an LCD or other display apparatus provided in a gas meter, an externally disposed reporting apparatus, or another display device, printer, gas leak warning apparatus, or the like.
  • FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing one example of a gas appliance judgment procedure performed by the gas appliance judgment apparatus according to the first embodiment.
  • the flow volume measurement means 11 continuously measures the instantaneous flow volume of the gas which flows inside the gas supply flow channel (gas pipe) at a uniform sampling cycle (for example, every two seconds), and sends the measured instantaneous flow volume data q[t] to the flow volume data noise removal means 21 .
  • the flow volume data noise removal means 21 removes the noise from the gathered instantaneous flow volume data q[t] respectively at a previously established timing for processing the instantaneous flow volume data q[t] (YES at step S 101 ) (S 102 : noise removal processing).
  • the flow volume data object extraction means 22 extracts the data of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume, from the instantaneous flow volume data q[t] from which the noise has been removed (S 103 : object extraction processing).
  • the gas flow characteristics extraction means 31 extracts the “length”, “initial flow volume” and “sequence of transited regions” as the characteristics of the variable portion of the flow volume, and extracts the “length”, “average value” and “gradient” as the characteristics of the flat portion of the flow volume from the data of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume (S 104 : gas flow characteristics extraction processing).
  • the values of the respective characteristic items other than the “sequence of transited regions”, in other words, the “length” and “initial flow volume” of the variable portion and the “length”, “average value” and “gradient” of the flat portion are respectively converted into division numbers of the division table which is stored in the division table storage means 32 .
  • the gas appliance judgment apparatus operates in two modes, namely, a judgment mode in which the type of gas appliance or the occurrence of a gas leak is judged by means of the appliance judgment means 41 , and a rule generation mode in which a new rule is generated or an existing rule is amended by the rule generation means 45 .
  • a possible technique is one in which, for example, the mode is normally set to the judgment mode and is switched to the rule generation mode, if a mode switching instruction signal is issued or if information indicating an appliance type or the occurrence of a gas leak is supplied to the rule generation means 45 .
  • the characteristics of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume extracted by the gas flow characteristics extraction means 31 are transferred to the rule match search and point addition means 43 .
  • the rule match search and point addition means 43 searches among the rules stored in the rule storage means 42 for a rule having characteristics data which matches the transferred characteristics of the variable portion and flat portion of the flow volume, and points indicating the probability of the gas appliance type or gas leak indicated by that rule are added respectively for the gas appliance type or the gas leak (S 106 : rule match search and point addition processing). In this rule match search and point addition processing, different points are added, when the rule is matched completely and when the rule is matched partially.
  • the appliance in use determination means 44 determines that a gas appliance of that type is in use and outputs appliance type information, such as an appliance number, appliance name, or the like, which indicates the gas appliance type, as a judgment result (S 107 : appliance in use determination processing).
  • appliance type information such as an appliance number, appliance name, or the like, which indicates the gas appliance type, as a judgment result (S 107 : appliance in use determination processing).
  • gas leak warning information such as a message indicating a gas leak is output as a judgment result.
  • the judgment result is output by the judgment result output means 50 which is located in a subsequent stage, in the form of a screen display, or the like, whereby the judgment result can be indicated to or reported to a human operator (S 108 : judgement result output processing).
  • the characteristics of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume extracted by the gas flow characteristics extraction means 31 are transferred to the rule generation means 45 .
  • the rule generation means 45 generates a new rule including characteristics data for a variable portion and a flat portion of the flow volume, respectively for the gas appliance type or for a gas leak, on the basis of the characteristics of the variable portion and flat portion of the flow volume obtained from the gas flow characteristics extraction means 31 and separately acquired information indicating the gas appliance type or gas leak.
  • the newly generated rule is stored in the rule storage means 42 (S 109 : rule generation processing).
  • the technique used in the noise removal processing (S 102 in FIG. 2 ) carried out by the flow volume data noise removal means 21 is, for example, that represented by the following conditional expression (1) or (2), where q expresses the original flow volume data and Q expresses the flow volume data after removal of noise.
  • the average flow volume of the three points q[t ⁇ 1], q[t] and q[t+1] is set as the flow volume at the particular point in time t.
  • the “uniform value”, “threshold value” and “uniform ratio” mean respective boundary values or reference values which are set in advance for the purpose of limiting value ranges or for comparison and judgment.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing the principles of the technique according to conditional expression (1) or (2) in this way, and it shows an example of a case where the flow volume q[t] at a particular time t of the instantaneous flow volume data plotted in a time/flow volume plane, projects upwards in comparison with the flow volumes q[t ⁇ 1] and q[t+1] which are situated before and after q[t].
  • the original flow volume q[t] is amended to the flow volume Q[t] after noise removal as indicated by a broken line, thereby removing the noise component.
  • this technique by removing noise from the instantaneous flow volume data similarly to the technique according to conditional expression (1) or (2) described above, it is possible to process the data into data that can be readily handled in the subsequent object extraction processing and gas flow characteristics extraction processing.
  • this technique has a merit in that it is based on an extremely straightforward calculation which simply involves finding the average movement, and therefore it is possible to improve the efficiency of the removal of noise from the instantaneous flow volume data.
  • variable portion is determined by this conditional expression (4) and the remaining portion is taken to be the flat portion.
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a technique based on the conditional expression (4) of this kind, and it shows one example of a variable portion which is determined in a case where portions which satisfy the conditional expression (4) continue subsequently after the data of the three time points, namely, the particular time point t and the time points before and after same, of the instantaneous flow volume data plotted on a graph of flow volume against time.
  • the “length”, “initial flow volume” and “sequence of transited regions” are extracted as the characteristics of the variable portion of the flow volume, and the “length”, “average value” and “gradient” are extracted as the characteristics of the flat portion of the flow volume, from the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume extracted by the object extraction processing of the preceding stage.
  • FIG. 5 shows an example in which the “length” and “initial flow volume” of the variable portion of the flow volume are extracted.
  • FIG. 6 shows one example of a technique for extracting the “sequence of transited regions” of the variable portion of the flow volume.
  • the instantaneous flow volume Q and the instantaneous flow volume time differential value ⁇ Q are plotted on a graph of a Q ⁇ Q plane and are divided into respective regions, each of the divided regions being assigned with a unique region number which identifies that region.
  • the region numbers which indicate the “sequence of transited regions” are extracted by determining the transitions of these values of Q and ⁇ Q.
  • the initial flow volume of the variable portion and the average flow volume of the flat portion have characteristics which correspond to a type of gas appliance, and therefore by dividing into fine sections on the basis of the value of Q only in the portion where ⁇ Q is close to zero, it is possible to extract those characteristics accurately.
  • a proportionately controlled appliance such as a fan heater
  • the amount of combustion is controlled in steps from maximum combustion until steady combustion, and therefore in the case of a proportionately controlled appliance of this kind also, as shown in FIG. 6 , it is possible to extract accurately the characteristics of the transitions of the amount of combustion, by dividing into small sections on the basis of the value of Q only in the portion where ⁇ Q is close to zero.
  • consecutive region numbers in double figures, “ 46 ” to “ 54 ”, are assigned to the plurality of regions in the portion where the instantaneous flow volume time differential value ⁇ Q is close to zero, and consecutive region numbers in three figures, “ 149 ” to “ 147 ” and “ 151 ” to “ 153 ” are assigned to the regions on either side of these regions, where the instantaneous flow volume time differential value ⁇ Q is a negative value or a positive value.
  • consecutive region numbers in double figures, “ 46 ” to “ 54 ” are assigned to the plurality of regions in the portion where the instantaneous flow volume time differential value ⁇ Q is close to zero
  • consecutive region numbers in three figures, “ 149 ” to “ 147 ” and “ 151 ” to “ 153 ” are assigned to the regions on either side of these regions, where the instantaneous flow volume time differential value ⁇ Q is a negative value or a positive value.
  • this sequence is “ 50 , 151 , 152 , 151 , 54 ”.
  • the region numbers of the start and end points of the region including zero will be “ 50 ” and “ 54 ”, and the number of sampled transit points will be “ 3 ”.
  • the “length” and “initial flow volume” of the variable portion of the flow volume, and the “length”, “average value” and “gradient” of the flat portion of the flow volume are respectively converted into division numbers of the division table stored in the division table storage means 32 .
  • the division table is a table in which the assumed range of the respective indicator values described above which indicate numerical magnitudes in relation to the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume is divided up into a plurality of divisions, each division being assigned with a division number which indicates that division.
  • FIG. 7 shows one example of a flow volume division table which is one example of a division table of this kind.
  • the flow volume is divided up every 10 L/h, and a flow volume division number which indicates the flow volume division is associated with each division.
  • a length division table which associates length division numbers that indicate respective length divisions
  • a gradient division table which associates gradient division numbers that indicate respective gradient divisions are used similarly in respect of the length or gradient.
  • the “length” and “initial flow volume” of the variable portion of the flow volume are converted respectively to a “length division number” and “initial flow volume division number”, and the “length”, “average value” and “gradient” of the flat portion of the flow volume are converted respectively to a “length division number”, “average value division number” and “gradient division number”.
  • the data finally obtained as the gas flow characteristics as a result of the gas flow characteristics extraction processing (S 014 in FIG. 2 ) performed by the gas flow characteristics extraction means 31 described above is composed of: a “length division number”, an “initial flow volume division number” and a “(number sequence indicating the) sequence of transited regions” for the variable portion of the flow volume, and a “length division number”, and “average value division number” and a “gradient division number” for the flat portion of the flow volume.
  • the number sequence data can be further simplified in comparison with a technique which extracts a region number sequence, and therefore the overall volume of data which represents the characteristics can be reduced yet further.
  • the characteristics of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume extracted by the gas flow characteristics extraction processing (S 104 in FIG. 2 ) are transferred to the rule match search and point addition means 43 , and a rule match search and point addition processing (S 106 in FIG. 2 ) is carried out by the rule match search and point addition means 43 .
  • a rule having characteristics data which matches the characteristics of the variable portion and the flat portion of the received flow volume information is found among the rules stored in the rule storage means 42 , and points which indicate the probability of the gas appliance type or the existence of a gas leak which is indicated by that rule are added up respectively for the gas appliance type or gas leak.
  • the additional point obtained in this case is determined on the basis of previously established conditions in accordance with the degree of matching with the rule, and in the present embodiment, as stated previously, different points are added in a case where the rule matches completely and in a case where it matches partially.
  • the rules stored in the rule storage means 42 are rules which include the characteristics data of the variable portion and rules which includes the characteristics data of the flat portion, for respective gas appliance types or for a gas leak, and in the present embodiment, variable portion and flat portion rules which include characteristics data indicated by a combination of numbers such as those shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B , for example, are prepared in advance in respect of the “characteristics indicated by a combination of numbers” which have been obtained by the gas flow characteristics extraction processing of the preceding stage.
  • FIG. 9 shows one example of totalized cumulative points scores of this kind.
  • the cumulative points score obtained as a result from the rule match search and point addition processing is compared with a previously established threshold value, in an appliance in use determination processing (S 107 in FIG. 2 ) which is carried out by the appliance in use determination means 44 , and a gas appliance having a cumulative points score which is not less than the threshold value is determined to be in use, in which case the appliance type information, such as appliance number or appliance name, etc., which identifies that type of gas appliance, is output as a judgment result.
  • the threshold value is “ 90 ”, then in the example in Table 4, since the cumulative points score for the appliance number “Appliance 4 ” is “ 90 ”, then it is determined that “Appliance 4 ”, is in use and the appliance number “Appliance 4 ” is output as the judgment result.
  • gas leak warning information such as a message indicating the existence of a gas leak
  • processing for resetting to zero or reducing the points score for the respective appliances is carried out in any one of the following instances, either in the rule match search and point addition processing or the appliance in use determination processing.
  • the judgment result which is gas appliance type information or gas leak warning information, etc., obtained by the appliance in use determination processing (S 107 in FIG. 2 ) performed by the appliance in use determination means 44 is output to the operator side in a form which presents and reports the judgment result, such as a display screen.
  • this judgment result output processing a relevant person is able to ascertain quickly and readily the type of gas appliance in use, or a gas leak warning message, etc., and therefore can swiftly carry out countermeasures, such as shutting off the gas supply, in the event of a gas leak.
  • new rules which respectively include the characteristics data the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume for a gas appliance type or for the existence of a gas leak are generated on the basis of the characteristics of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume obtained in the gas flow characteristics extraction processing, and separately acquired information indicating gas appliance types or the existence of a gas leak, and these new rules are stored in the rule storage means 42 .
  • This rule generation processing is carried out by supplying gas appliance type information or gas leak information to the rule generation means and setting same to rule generation mode. This is done, for instance, before installing the gas appliance judgment apparatus according to the present embodiment, when the type of gas appliance to which gas is to be supplied has been identified, or when it is wished to create characteristics data for a gas leak.
  • rules of a variable portion and a flat portion including characteristics data which is represented by a combination of numbers such as those shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B are generated by using conditions of the following kind, for instance.
  • start-up time and the end time of the gas appliance can be identified from the combination of the instantaneous flow volume and the time differential value of the instantaneous flow volume, then it is possible to judge between the occurrence of a gas leak and the continuous use of a gas appliance which is not fitted with a governor, efficiently and accurately. In conjunction with this, it is also possible to measure the continuous use time of the gas appliance and therefore further operations, such as issuing a suitable warning in response to prolonged use of the gas appliance, also become possible.
  • the first embodiment it is possible to provide a gas appliance judgment apparatus and method whereby the type of gas appliance in use can be identified or the existence of a gas leak can be determined, efficiently and accurately, as well as being able to distinguish efficiently and accurately between the existence of a gas leak and the continuous use of a gas appliance which is not fitted with a governor.
  • FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the composition of the gas appliance judgement apparatus according to a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied.
  • the composition of the measurement means 10 , the pre-processing means 20 , the characteristics extraction means 30 and the judgment means 40 according to the first embodiment is changed and a measurement means 10 a , a pre-processing means 20 a , a characteristics extraction means 30 a and a judgment means 40 a are provided instead.
  • the details of the means 10 a to 40 a are described below.
  • the measurement means 10 a has, in addition to a flow volume measurement means 11 similar to that of the first embodiment, a pressure measurement means 12 which measures the pressure p[t] of the gas flowing inside the gas supply flow channel (gas pipe). It is possible to use various types of pressure meter and pressure sensor for this pressure measurement means 12 .
  • the pre-processing means 20 a has a flow volume and pressure data noise removal means 23 which removes noise from the instantaneous flow volume data and the pressure data measured by the flow volume measurement means 11 and the pressure measurement means 12 , and a flow volume and pressure data object extraction means 24 which respectively extracts data for a uniform time period at respective sampling timings, from the instantaneous flow volume data and the pressure data after noise removal.
  • the characteristics extraction means 30 a has a pressure related characteristics extraction means 33 which extracts, as characteristics of the data for the prescribed time period extracted by the flow volume and pressure data object extraction means 24 , characteristics including the dispersion in the ratio between the flow volume and the square root of the pressure or the ratio between the flow volume and the pressure.
  • This pressure related characteristics extraction means 33 extracts the “normalized flow volume dispersion” and the “average flow volume” by determining the standard deviation and average value of the flow volume from the data for the prescribed time period extracted by the flow volume and pressure data object extraction means 24 , and it also extracts the “normalized nozzle dispersion” of the gas spray nozzle opening amount by determining the standard deviation and average of the ratio between the flow volume and the square root of the pressure or the ratio between the flow volume and the pressure.
  • the judgment means 40 a has a governor presence judgment means 46 which judges the presence or absence of a governor in use, on the basis of the data for a prescribed time period which has been extracted by the pressure related characteristics extraction means 33 .
  • This governor presence judgment means 46 judges the presence or absence of a governor in use on the basis of the “normalized flow volume dispersion”, “normalized nozzle dispersion” and “average flow volume” which have been extracted by the pressure related characteristics extraction means 33 , and furthermore even in cases where it is not possible to judge the presence or absence of a governor, ultimately one of the following judgment results, “governor present”, “governor absent”, “judgment impossible” and “no pressure change”, is determined and output by judging the presence or absence of pressure variations.
  • FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing one example of a gas appliance judgment procedure performed by a gas appliance judgment apparatus according to a second embodiment.
  • the flow volume measurement means 11 and the pressure measurement means 12 respectively measure the instantaneous flow volume and pressure of the gas flowing inside the gas supply flow channel (gas pipe) constantly at a uniform sampling cycle (for example, every two seconds in both cases), and the instantaneous flow volume data q[t] and pressure data p[t] thus measured are supplied to the flow volume and pressure data noise removal means 23 .
  • S 202 noise removal processing
  • S 203 object extraction processing
  • the “normalized flow volume dispersion”, “normalized nozzle dispersion” and “average flow volume” are extracted as characteristics of the data for the prescribed time period extracted by the flow volume and pressure data object extraction means 24 (S 204 : pressure related characteristics extraction processing).
  • the governor presence judgment means 46 determines and outputs one of the following judgment results, “governor present”, “governor absent”, “judgment impossible” and “no pressure change”, on the basis of the characteristics of the data for the prescribed time period extracted by the pressure related characteristics extraction means 33 , in other words, the “normalized flow volume dispersion”, “normalized nozzle dispersion” and “average flow volume” (S 205 : governor presence judgment processing).
  • the judgment result is output by the judgment result output means 50 , which is located in a subsequent stage, in the form of a screen display, or the like, whereby the judgment result can be indicated to or reported to a human operator (S 206 : judgement result output processing).
  • flow volume variation is not less than a prescribed value (or prescribed ratio)”
  • this noise removal processing it is possible to convert the data into data which can be readily handled in the subsequent object extraction processing or pressure related characteristics extraction processing, by removing noise from the instantaneous flow volume data and pressure data.
  • a merit is obtained in that the accuracy of the removal of noise from the instantaneous flow volume data and pressure data can be improved by using respective range conditions for the flow volume, the variation in flow volume, and the variation in the square root of the pressure.
  • the prescribed time period can be set appropriately, but one example of this time period is 120 seconds.
  • the sampling cycle of the instantaneous flow volume data q[t] and the pressure data p[t] is two seconds in both cases, then sixty sets of sampling data are extracted during the 120 seconds.
  • the sampling cycles of the instantaneous flow volume data q[t] and pressure data p[t] do not necessarily have to be the same, and even in the case of different sampling cycles, it is possible to extract respective data for the prescribed time period by harmonizing the timing for q and p in relation to q/ ⁇ p.
  • FIG. 12 is a diagram which illustrates a technique of the object extraction processing of this kind and it shows one example of mutually corresponding instantaneous flow volume data and pressure data, which is extracted as data for the same prescribed time period.
  • the “normalized flow volume dispersion”, “normalized nozzle dispersion” and “average flow volume” are extracted as characteristics of the data for the prescribed time period which has been extracted by the object extraction processing in the preceding stage.
  • these characteristics are extracted, for example, by the following technique.
  • the average value of the flow volume data q[t ⁇ n] to q[t] for the prescribed time period extracted is determined as set as ave q[t]. If the number of flow volume data for the prescribed time period is smaller than a prescribed number as a result of removing data in the noise removal processing, then the average flow volume ave q[t] will be zero.
  • the pressure related characteristics extraction processing described above by determining the standard deviation and average value of the ratio between the flow volume and the square root of the pressure or the ratio between the flow volume and the pressure from the flow volume and pressure data for the prescribed time period, the amount of opening of the gas spray nozzle section of the gas appliance is determined, and the “normalized nozzle dispersion”, which is the dispersion in the nozzle opening amount, is extracted.
  • the governor presence judgment processing carried out by the governor presence judgment means 46 determines and outputs one of the judgment results, “governor present”, “governor absent”, “judgment impossible” and “no pressure change”, on the basis of the “normalized flow volume dispersion”, “normalized nozzle dispersion” and “average flow volume”, which are characteristics of the data for the prescribed time period which has been extracted by the pressure related characteristics extraction processing of the preceding stage.
  • FIG. 13 shows one example of a technique of this governor presence judgment processing, wherein on the basis of the “normalized flow volume dispersion” and the “normalized nozzle dispersion”,
  • min ⁇ G[t] min( ⁇ q[t], ⁇ Nz[t ])
  • the “governor present” region is a region where there is significant nozzle dispersion and little dispersion in the flow volume. In other words, the flow volume is maintained at a uniform level by adjusting the nozzle in response to pressure change. Furthermore, the “governor absent” region is a region where there is little nozzle dispersion and significant dispersion in the flow volume. In other words, the nozzle is uniform with respect to pressure change, while the flow volume changes.
  • the “judgment impossible” region is a region where there is a large dispersion in both the nozzle and the flow volume
  • the “no pressure change” region is a region where both the nozzle dispersion and the flow volume dispersion are small and the amount of pressure change is close to zero.
  • the “judgment impossible” region and the “no pressure change” region can be used to judge the existence of a gas leak, and the like.
  • the judgment result output processing which is performed by the judgment result output means 50 (S 206 in FIG. 11 )
  • the judgment result of one of “governor present”, “governor absent”, “judgment impossible” and “no pressure change” which has been obtained by the governor presence judgment processing (S 205 in FIG. 11 ) performed by the governor presence judgment means 46 is output in the form of a display screen, or the like, which can present or report the judgment result to a human operator. According to this judgment result output processing, the relevant operator can readily and immediately ascertain whether or not a gas appliance fitted with a governor is in use.
  • the gas appliance is an appliance which is not fitted with a governor, such as a cooking stove, or there is a gas leak
  • a governor such as a fan heater
  • the gas appliance is one which is fitted with a governor, such as a fan heater. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish accurately between a gas leak or a cooking stove which require the gas supply to be shut off especially by a safety function, and an appliance such as a fan heater in which it is necessary to prevent unwanted shut-off. As a result of this, it is possible to prevent mistaken shut-off during prolonged use of a gas appliance which is fitted with a governor, such as a fan heater.
  • start-up time and the end time of a gas appliance can be judged on the basis of the ratio between the flow volume and the square root of the pressure, or a substitute value, then it is also possible to distinguish efficiently and accurately between the existence of a gas leak and the continuous use of a gas appliance which is not fitted with a governor.
  • the continuous use time of the gas appliance can also be measured, then operations, such as issuing a suitable warning in respect of prolonged use of a gas appliance, also become possible.
  • the pressure value itself is used as a substitute value for the square root of the pressure, and the presence of a governor can be judged with little error in calculation, simply by determining the ratio between the flow volume and the pressure. If the presence of a governor is judged by determining the ratio between the flow volume and the pressure in this way, then the calculational load can be reduced in comparison with a case where the ratio between the flow volume and the square root of the pressure is determined, and therefore the efficiency can be improved. On the other hand, if the variation in the gas pressure is relatively large, then better accuracy can be achieved by finding the ratio between the flow volume and the square root of the pressure.
  • compositions which combines the first and second embodiments can be considered, in which case the combined advantageous effects of both embodiments are obtained.
  • the composition of the apparatus indicated in the present embodiments is merely an example, and the concrete composition of the apparatus and the composition of the respective means can be selected freely, in which case the concrete processing procedure and the details of the respective processings can also be selected freely in accordance with same.

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